You're Not Sleeping on the Couch
by megsdailyprophet
Summary: A recent adventure leaves The Doctor injured, and Rose decides to bring him back to London for healing. Fluff, fluff, and more fluff. Set sometime during season 2, after Tooth and Claw. More chapters to come, I promise!
1. Chapter 1

***I'm American, so I apologize for my horrible use of British language. Please forgive my attempts at the slang as well. I don't own Doctor Who, or the characters, obviously.***

The last thing Rose Tyler wanted to do after an adventure in seventeenth century China was lug a 6'1 ft. Time Lord a mile through countless fields to the hidden Tardis. She'd warned him to watch out, and she'd told him numerous times to keep checking behind him. But, as always, he did his own thing and went on being the 'all-knowing Doctor' she'd come to know and love. Although she certainly didn't love him at the moment. After running away from a crowd of angry villagers, she definitely had no desire to further agonize her aching muscles and pull a completely limp body through thick undergrowth.

First, they'd been pelted with rocks as they tried to escape the soldiers positioned at the front gates of the village. Thankfully, all had left minor bruises. All but one, which soared through the air at an impressive speed for its size, and hit the Doctor squarely on the head. He collapsed at once, barely dodging another rock similar to the previous. As she tried to wake him up, a soldier came at them from behind and slashed a knife across his stomach. Then again at his leg. Then his arm, and finally, he scratched his cheek, just below his eye. Then, the solider left. The villagers followed closely behind him, leaving Rose to fend for herself. Fortunately, the Doctor had taken care to inform Rose that the Tardis was located directly north of the gates of the village.

But he failed to tell her that he had apparently gained weight. Even though she was drained of all energy, she somehow found the will-power to drag the Doctor to safety. She had to get him home, back to the Tardis. Perhaps there was something there in the endless winding halls of the interior that could heal her Doctor. She had faith in him, and had no doubt that he'd be okay. But before that, she had to get him out of this place.

Stopping to take a breath, Rose stood up and glanced at her surroundings. She remembered coming from a cluster of trees, so the Tardis had to be somewhere in the forest up ahead. A small moan erupted from below her, and the Doctor turned his head slightly, resting his head on a patch of dirt. Rose raised her eyebrows in amusement, taking in his now earth-stricken face. Quickly, she dispelled her small break and continued half-dragging, half-carrying the Time Lord toward the trees.

After a great deal of heavy breathing, they finally arrived at the familiar blue doors of the ship. The Tardis gently hummed with concern, and unlocked its doors.

"Oh he'll be fine, no need to worry," She grimaced as she tried to pull the Doctor through the narrow doorway, and sat down, exasperated, when she finally succeeded. His appearance hadn't changed much, except for the fact that he was dirtier. She gently wiped away a streak of dirt off his cheek, and miraculously, his eyelids fluttered open.

"Rose...Oh god, how long was I out?" He quickly shot up from the ground, but was soon put down by an unexpected wave of pain. Wincing, he noticed the bloodstain on his shirt near his stomach. "What the hell happened to me?"

"Um...well, you were kind of knocked out by a flying rock, then nearly slashed to bits by an overly-violent samuri," Rose chewed the inside of her cheek, desperately thinking of something else to say, "And you're still bleeding,"

"Well, yes, I've noticed that," He said sarcastically.

Rose stood up and walked over to the controls, ignoring his comment. "So, how do i get us back to London again?"

The Doctor attempted to get to his feet, "I've got it. Just give me a sec..." He had barely gotten to his knees when he collapsed in a disheveled heap on the floor once more, "Oh, yep. I can't stand. Rose, listen very carefully to my instructions. Pull the lever closest to the big green button."

"The one to the left of it?"

"No, the right."

"But there is no lever to the right of it."

"What are you talking about, I just said the big green button, how many big green buttons are there?"

"Have you looked at these controls lately?"

"Oh fine. Help me up, will you? Help me sit in the chair, I'll manage it myself."

Rose rolled her eyes, but reluctantly strode over to the Doctor. He grabbed onto her shoulder, fingers fumbling to grip the fabric of Rose's shirt. She helped him make his way over to the control chair, trying to not aggravate his wounds. Finally, they accomplished the preferred distance and she distributed him into the chair. His eyes instantly lit up and he went to work, pulling levers and violently typing in codes. Soon, the familiar whir of the Tardis echoed off the walls and the Doctor smiled with pride.

"There. Even injured, I've still got it." The moment he finished his sentence, he slumped onto the controls, unconscious once again. Rose rushed over to him, extremely concerned. The Doctor didn't pass out twice in the same trip. It wasn't like him. Or maybe he was just lucky with Rose around. Either way, she knew she had to get home. Very, very quickly.

Within a minute, the whirring stopped and Rose rushed to the doors and flung them open. Thankfully, they were in front of her mum's apartment. Right where she wanted to land. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed.

'Mum? We're home. I need you to come outside. Now."

"Rose! How have you been? What's he done this time, do I need to get over there to-"

"Mum, I need you to stop asking questions for once, and please just come out."

"Alright, alright. I'm coming, quit your yapping."

Rose hit end and shoved the phone back in her pocket. Then, she ran to the Doctor's side, attempting to awaken him once more. Before she could take any desperate measures, Jackie Tyler erupted from the doors of the Tardis.

"Rose! What's happened with you? Is he unconcious? Lord, he's always pulling something like this ain't he? Should I make him some tea or-"

"You know I appreciate your concern Mum, I really do. But for now, please just help me get him inside? And if we don't have any bandages, you might want to go and buy some. I have a feeling we're going to need a lot of them."


	2. Chapter 2

Somehow, Rose and Jackie managed to get the Doctor out of the Tardis, and up to the apartment without dropping him. Of course, not dropping him didn't include dragging his legs on the concrete. But they were able to deliver him to the living room in one piece.

When they finally settled in, laid him down on the couch and shut the door, Rose assessed the Doctor's injuries.

"Can you get some bandages? I'll need some disinfectant too," She asked Jackie.

"Course. Just don't try anything funny, alright? I'll be back in five minutes."

She grabbed her coat off the hook and shut the front door behind her. Rose looked down at the Doctor, his previously perfectly styled hair now tousled to the point where it wouldn't stick up anymore. Being a Time Lord and all, his cuts weren't all that bad any longer, and certainly not fatal. He just needed time to heal, and time was something they had plenty of.

Gently seating herself on the edge of the couch, she grabbed a dark green blanket from underneath the cushions and spread it over the Doctor, leaving enough room so that just the tops of his shoulders and head were peeking out. He looked younger in his sleep. His crooked smile was still faintly there, and his features softened. He no longer looked like a man consumed by war. A man consumed by loss. But merely a man, simply trying to get along with the universe.

Something Rose knew he wanted to be.

Soon, he turned onto his side and reached his hands up to his head, gasping in surprise as he opened his eyes. Rose snapped her head in his direction and rushed to his side.

"Rose..." He breathed, "Where'd you take me?"

She gripped his hand, caressing it with her thumb. "Mum's flat. You got us here, can you remember?"

He sat up against the arm rest, rubbing his face with one hand. "Erm...all I remember is fighting an entire village of crazed soldiers. Did they have rocks? Because I think they had rocks. You know, I was hit in the face with a rock once. It knocked me out flat, I can't even remember what happened after that-"

"Doctor," She interrupted him, "That's kind of what happened. That, and you're bleeding. Well, only partially now. You and your alien body must've tried to heal it somehow."

He raised his eyebrows, puzzled. "That's odd... I don't remember flying the Tardis...did we go to China? I vaguely remember China...great food, really. I've always been a fan of their sight-seeing too."

She smiled and shook her head. "You're never concentrating, you know that?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and crookedly grinned. "Well, I _am_ a 900 year old Time Lord, I've seen some things."

She laughed, and he sunk down deeper into the couch. "So, Rose. I was hit with a rock?"

"Yep, knocked you right in the skull. Made an impressive sound too."

"Huh. I don't normally do that. Usually I just-" His sentence was cut off as he roared in pain. "Urghh... well now what is it?!" Rose ripped the blanket off of his body and started to unbutton his shirt, suspicious of re-awakening wounds. _If Mum walked in on my right now, I'd be dead, _she thought, suddenly apprehensive of all background noises. To her horror, she was correct. When she peeled off his jacket, a bright scarlet patch of blood over his stomach was waiting for her.

"Um, alright," She stuttered, suddenly breaking a sweat, "Doctor, just stay calm, Mum's coming back in a minute."

The Doctor winced as Rose attempted to gently pull up his undershirt to examine the bleeding cut. From what she could see, it looked infected.

"Is it supposed to be doing that?" She shrieked.

"Well...I suppose...A human weapon and...a human wound...means a human injury...which means...I need human...healing," He gasped in between breaths.

Rose stomped her foot. "Well that's just great. Because I absolutely know how to fix a Time Lord with a human wound. Completely natural, no problem whatsoever."

Thankfully, at that moment, Jackie decided to burst through the door carrying a shopping bag. "I'm back, I hope you didn't try anything funny, because if you did, well God-"

"Mum! A bit of help, please?"

Jackie sighed and handed the shopping bag to Rose, suddenly noticing the thrashing Doctor. "Good God, what's happened to him?"

"No idea. You have any idea how to heal flesh wounds?"

The Doctor picked his head up, his face contorted into an unforgiving grimace. "Rose Tyler, if you let that woman _anywhere _near my bleeding skin, I swear I'll never come to this house again."

Rose ignored his threat and reached an arm around his shoulders. "Come on Doctor, we've got to fix you up. And there's no way I'm letting you sleep on the couch."


	3. Chapter 3

*Sorry I didn't update sooner! I really tried to find time, but schools kinda crazy this week. Anyways, thanks for waiting!*

Getting the Doctor to the bedroom was almost as difficult as getting him to the Tardis. Except for the fact that there were no sudden bushes and roots dragging them down.

Jackie and Rose somehow found the cooperation to work together and get the deranged Time Lord splayed out on the bed. His overcoat was still off, so it made partially undressing him somewhat easier. His hair, now matted with sweat against his head, had lost all volume. It was obvious that he was in bad shape. Yet Rose felt oddly calm about it. Maybe she had too much faith in the Doctor. Perhaps after all the adventures together, she refused to believe that something could take him down. Something as stupid as a flesh wound.

Just as Rose was getting ready to take off his shirt, she realized how angry the Doctor would be if he found out that her _mum_ had seen him exposed.

"Mum, do you mind leaving the room?"

"Rose! You think you can manage this all by yourself? Cause I'm telling you right now, it isn't gonna turn out all fun and sunshine," Jackie exclaimed at her daughter.

"No, but he'll kill me if I let you see him. Please, it'll take five minutes at the most."

Jackie sighed in defeat and nodded, "Alright, alright. I'm leaving. But no-"

"I know mum, thanks, bye," Rose quickly interrupted her. Jackie left the room and shut the door behind her, leaving Rose alone with her Doctor.

She decided to try and take off his shirt first. That way, things wouldn't get too awkward. She somehow got it over his head without disturbing his cuts and injuries. He stirred a bit, moaning softly, and turning his head on its side. Rose softened, and put a hand on his forehead, slowly stroking his cheek with her thumb. He was hotter than usual. Rose didn't think Time Lords got fevers, but at this point, she didn't know what to make of _anything. _

His trousers were going to be a bit trickier, since there was a bleeding cut running down the outside of his shin. Praying he had undershorts on, she carefully wiggled the pants off, thankfully seeing that he did indeed have something on underneath.

Rose grabbed the wet cloth from the side table and started cleaning his cuts, hoping that she was doing everything correctly. She wasn't exactly a trained medical professional, and taking him to the hospital was out of the question.

When she was just about to finish, the Doctor stirred once more and opened his eyes. He immediately gasped in surprise when he saw the scene laid out in front of him. Rose froze, cloth suspended in mid-air.

"Rose!" he blushed with embarrassment, "How did you...never mind that. What're you doing?"

She bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. The Time Lord took a shaky breath, seemingly desperate to get air into his lungs.

"Rose...I feel hot. Is that supposed to happen? Do humans get hot like this?"

Rose knit her eyebrows, puzzled at his remark. "What do you mean hot?"

"I dunno, I just feel...hot. Clammy, and I think I'm sweating...Rose what's happening?"

"I...I think you have an infection, Doctor. Lie still, let me get a thermometer." She stood up from the side of the bed and went into the bathroom, opening multiple drawers and searching through cabinets, until finally, she found the item she was looking for.

When she returned, the Doctor looked worse than he had a moment ago. He had paled, and when she put her hand on his forehead, felt much warmer. Trying to not let her concern show, she put on a neutral expression, pressing her lips together firmly, and ordered the doctor to open his mouth.

She placed the tip of the thermometer under his tongue, and impatiently waited for the familiar beep. It finally arrived, and she tool it out of his mouth. She read the temperature, and her heart dropped.

"Doctor...that's an extremely high temperature. Please tell me Time Lords are supposed to have extremely high temperatures," She asked desperately.

"No, we're supposed to have about the same as humans. What did it say Rose?"

"I'd rather...not say."

"Rose, tell me. Please."

"I'll just say that if you were human, you'd probably be dead, or at least very close to it."

His eyes widened and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "Rose, it hurts."

She scooted closer to him on the bed, placing his hand in his. "I know. But you're gonna be alright, okay? I'm not gonna let this happen to you." She involuntarily reached out to stroke his hair, and he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. She smiled sadly, and picked up the cloth again, this time using it to wet the Doctor's sweat-streaked head.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Rose got the Doctor cleaned up and bandaged, he was already passed out once more, his fever raging with fire and infection. They had used the disinfectant on him, but it didn't seem to take any effect. as the minutes passed, Rose became less and less hopeful that her Time Lord would be alright. But there was no way she was going to let that emotion show.

Jackie had stopped in a couple of times, only wanting to check on his condition. Strangely, she kept silent about the fact that the Doctor was now stripped down to his innermost layers. If it were a normal circumstance, she would've had both their heads. But even her mum knew that this wasn't the time to go and accuse them of every possibly suggestive thing under the sun.

His temperature had remained the same, never rising and never falling. A small gasp would escape his lips every now and then, and Rose would rush to his side, hoping he had waken up. But his eyes still had yet to surface from sleep.

At around midnight, six hours since they had arrived, Jackie came in to bid her goodnight. She had only solemn pity for the Doctor. Rose then had to make a decision. Leave the Doctor, or stay the night with him, ensuring safety and a watchful eye at all times.

He had never abandoned her in time of need, and she wouldn't abandon him in his for the world. So she pulled the chair she had been using to the wall, and climbed on top of the bed next to him. she propped a pillow up against the head board, and sat on top of the covers, afraid that going under might get her sick as well.

She reached over his body to the lamp and pulled the string, erasing the artificial light from the room. Only a sliver of moonlight remained, swimming across the creases in the dark blue blankets.

So she sat. She didn't concentrate on much, and she didn't fuss over his every move. When the Doctor wanted to wake up, he would. That was how it always was.

She thought back to the moments before he was knocked out, before he was brutally injured.

They had just finished visiting a local shop, one with several different fabrics that Rose had never seen before. Brimming with ancient weaving and embroidery. The Doctor couldn't keep the crooked little grin of his away after seeing her marvel over several other rugs.

She looked at him, her eyebrows raised in amusement. "Think it's funny, eh? I haven't seen _all _of time and space you know,"

He grinned even bigger. "You just have the same look every time. It's wonderful, seeing that on you."

She blushed profusely, then quickly turned to hide it. "Maybe we should check out some other shops. I'm sure they have some interesting stuff next door."

He sat down on the small fence beside her, tucking his hands into his coat pockets and briefly looking at his shoes. "Why don't we just, wander. I mean, I know that we always do that, it's just that...well, trouble always seems to find us. Well, more like we find _it. _Well-"

"I think that's a great idea, Doctor," She smiled, reaching out her hand to his. He slowly smiled and took it, jumping up and dragging her into the street like a little kid.

"Doctor!" She exclaimed, laughing, "I haven't got two hearts you know, I can't run as fast as you."

"Well yes I know, but that doesn't mean you can't get some adrenaline in you," he grabbed her waist and spun her around, ignorant of the curious onlookers in the street with them. He put her down, now laughing as much as Rose now.

But they weren't laughing for long. Next thing they knew, soldiers, heavily armed with countless swords, rushed towards them. Why, they had no idea. But they did know to run, as they always did.

They didn't get that far, obviously. He was knocked out cold within ten seconds. Much like he was now, lying in bed, barely making a sound.

Suddenly, to Rose's surprise, the Doctor sputtered, and shot up from his pillow, furiously coughing. Seemingly unable to grasp the concept of breathing, he doubled over, still coughing, and vomited into the garbage can located conveniently next to the bed. Rose widened her eyes as he came back to his pillow, breathing heavily.

"Oh dear god, um...are you okay? Do you need water? A pill? Anything?" She stuttered, not exactly sure what to do with the matter. The Doctor turned on his side, curling up into fetus position.

"Rose, what was that?" He asked, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Um...I'm pretty sure that was vomit." She answered. slightly disgusted.

"I was scared you'd say that. I hate vomiting. Worst feeling in the universe, and I've felt some awful things. How do you humans deal?" He said weakly.

She moved closer to him, and he opened his eyes a bit. "Usually, we take medicine. Or we just wait for it to pass. I mean, how do Time Lords deal with this sort of thing?"

Deciding that the pillow was too uncomfortable for him, the Doctor laid his head in Rose's lap, pulling the blankets up to his neck. She felt his forehead, and saw that it was still soaked with sweat, and still, predictably, very hot.

"I suppose I wait as well. Did you bandage my cuts? Or, whatever I felt burning on several parts of my body?

"Yeah, and I tried to disinfect them too. I had to...remove some stuff, if that's alright," she bit her lip and awkwardly looked away.

"Yeah, yeah. Quite alright. I should heal normally now, It'll just take some time," He shakily turned his head to look up at her, "Are you alright with that? Sitting still, I mean."

"Course, we've gotta rest some time. Maybe the universe won't need saving this time," she suggested dismissively.

He laughed, his chuckle immediately turning into a sputter. "Hope so. I'm not exactly in the right condition to be running everywhere," his breathing became heavy, "Rose I hate being sick like this."

She ran a hand through his matted brunet hair, stopping to stroke the side of his face with her thumb. "Well, you better get used to it. I have a feeling there will be a lot more of this," she said regrettably.

"I never get sick, I mean honestly Rose, when you met me, did you _ever _think I'd end up half-dead in bed and vomiting over the side?"

"Can't say I did. Course if this is an infection, it might get worse."

He moaned with pain. "I'm so tired all the time. I don't even have the energy to sit up for more than ten seconds."

Rose continued to stroke his hair, hoping the motion would somehow take the pain away. "So go to sleep Doctor." He opened his eyes slightly, looking at her face, then briefly glancing at the door. Rose saw this and quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."

His featured relaxed and he curled up even tighter, his arms covering his head, as if he were trying to protect it from even more sickness. Rose then allowed herself to climb under the covers, deciding that whatever he had was most likely not contagious. Thankful that she had changed into her sleep clothes before, she settled herself within the sheets, still deciding to remain propped up against the head board. The Doctor had finally drifted off, his breaths coming periodically and steady, occasionally hoarse with soreness. He remained curled up with his head resting on her lap, the blankets up to his neck. She hoped it would break the fever if he stayed under.

Rose knew she couldn't stay awake for her Time Lord all night. Though she wanted to, she knew she had to get at least a bit of rest. So she closed her eyes, and waited for sleep to arrive.

_* Okay I'm really sorry for the wait, but I have finals this week and I've had to study for the past few days. If I get a chance, I'll update, but most likely, I'll do it sometime around Monday of next week. Sorry!*_


	5. Chapter 5

*****Okay I'm sooooo sorry for not updating for a while, things have been crazy for the past couple of weeks. But I promise starting now I'll update every few days. So I hope you enjoy! Thanks for waiting! I love you all!*****

The Doctor's fast, heavy breathing woke Rose from her slumber, sending her shooting up from her pillow. He had shifted from his original position with his head in her lap overnight. Currently, he was on his back with his head resting on his own pillow, gasping for air. Rose threw the covers off the bed and ran to the opposite side of the bed. He glanced in her direction, his eyes desperately pleading for help.

"Oh god...Doctor, can you hear me?"

He gasped again and nodded quickly.

"Alright, what's the matter? Can you breathe? Yes? No?" She fumbled over her words, trying to decipher is peculiar sign language.

The Doctor shook his head and held up a hand, forming it into a position that made it seem like it was clutching a cup.

"Alright, well that's not exactly good. What are you doing with your hand? Oh! I see, charades. Okay so you need a...cup? Beverage?" The Doctor nodded furiously, still wheezing, "Cup of what? Medicine? Tea?" The Doctor brought his hand down steadily, wiggling his fingers as he went, "Er...rain? No, water!" The Doctor nodded once again.

"Give me a minute, I'll be back in a second." She rushed out of the room, praying that he would be okay without her for the short time that she would be absent from his bedside. She finally skidded to a halt at the kitchen sink and filled a glass with water. She didn't even notice that her mum was sitting at the table until she was already crossing the threshold out of the room. _Oh well, _she thought, _I'll deal with that later._

When Rose returned to the Doctor's bedside, she was distraught to find that the doctor was still gasping for air. She rushed over to him and handed him the glass, helping him chug it down. Halfway through, he plucked the glass out of her hands and finished the rest of it in one breath. When he was done, he slammed the glass down on the side table, sputtering.

Rose sat down on the bed next to him, rubbing small circles on his back as he leaned his head on her shoulder.

"You alright?" She whispered softly.

He exhaled deeply into her shoulder. "Yeah I think so. Sorry 'bout that, kind of a Time Lord side effect. Good thing we're on Earth though. Water, the universal cleanser. Really helps heal us." He stated halfheartedly.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and laid back down, curling into fetal position as he usually did.

"You should go and eat something, Rose. I'm just going to be sleeping anyways," he muttered through the covers.

"Are you gonna be alright without me here?" She asked hesitantly.

"'Course I am. I'm the Doctor," he jokingly mocked.

She smiled and patted down the covers around him. "Okay. Holler if you need me."

She stood up from the bed and crossed to the doorway, pausing before she left to turn out the light. He looked so peaceful there, so much much more innocent without burden in his eyes.

The steady rise and fall of his chest told her that he was asleep. She grabbed the door knob and gently shut the door behind her before heading to the kitchen to talk to her mum.

*o*o*o*o*

"So he just has to...rest?"

Rose sat at the kitchen table holding her tea in both hands. Her mum sat directly across from her doing the same.

"Yeah, basically. I mean there's not much else we can do, he's not a human you know," Rose answered.

"Shouldn't we give him medicine? Pills? Something?"

Rose shrugged off the suggestions. "Nope. All he said was that he had to sleep. He'll be fine though, so that's good. He just doesn't know how long 'being fine' will take," she said grimly.

"And you're sleeping in the same room as him I take it?" Jackie asked accusingly.

Rose rolled her eyes in annoyance, hoping to not get into the legendary argument about their 'living situation' again. "Yes mum, I'm sleeping in the same room. You think I'm gonna leave a sick Time Lord alone at night in our house?"

Jackie nodded in agreement. "I suppose not. You know though that I'll murder you both if I hear any-"

"Yeah mum, you've said it thousands of times. I know."

"Just making sure."

Rose smiled and glanced down at her still filled mug, unable to drink.

Jackie suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. "You really love him, don't you?"

Taken by surprise, Rose snapped her head up, pondering whether or not she should answer.

"Yeah mum, I do."

*o*o*o*o*o

Back in the bedroom, the Doctor still lay sound asleep engulfed in the voluminous comfort of his blankets. Though his body still wracked with fever, the temperature was surprisingly tepid when Rose climbed in next to him. Seeming to sense her presence, the Time Lord rolled over to face her, his arms reaching out to hug her close to him.

She wasn't sure if he was conscious or not, but she accepted the gesture and turned into his chest. The rhythmic beating of his two hearts sent shivers up her spine as she pressed closer to him and she sighed in contentment.

Perhaps she would try and get him out of bed tomorrow. Not to be active, just maybe go to the living room and watch a movie. But until then, she would stay with him.

The Doctor, apparently awake after all, pressed his lips to Rose's hair. He entangled his long, skinny legs with hers and she buried her face into his chest.

And she stayed with him until he drifted off to sleep once again.


	6. Chapter 6

*****Disclaimer: Again, obviously, I don't own Doctor Who, The Lion King, or its characters.*****

"Come on, Doctor. It's not gonna kill you," Rose nagged impatiently.

The Doctor let out a stubborn grunt beneath the covers of the bed, his tone resembling an agitated dog. Rose rolled her eyes and pulled the blankets of the bed. The Doctor yelped in protest and shot up from his pillow.

"Oh come on! I just need to sleep Rose!"

"You've been sleeping for three days straight. And last night I heard you in the kitchen making yourself a sandwich. You're well enough to get up and move three rooms away," she countered.

He widened his eyes. "I thought you were sleeping," he protested warily.

"Well I can't sleep when you're clamoring around and knocking over dishes down the hall."

"I figured you were a heavy sleeper..."

Rose raised her eyebrows at him and glared. The Doctor merely flopped back down on the mattress, his arms and legs splayed carelessly out beside him.

"I'll make you some food if you move," she suggested. He groaned in protest.

"It was a one time thing. I feel a bit nauseous right now, actually, I've got no idea why I went and made some food for myself last night."

Rose let out a deep sigh and sat on the bed next to him. "We could always put on a film in the living room. You don't have to do anything, just get in there and lay on the sofa. I just hate seeing you completely idle like this."

The Time Lord opened his eyes. "What kind of movie do you have in mind?" He asked precariously.

"Remember on Christmas when you accidentally quoted _The Lion King_?"

"Oh god, you're not suggesting we watch _that_, are you?"

"Why not? Quite honestly it's one of the only movies we have. We were never really big on them.

He considered this for a moment, then sighed. "Alright then. I might fall asleep, you know,"

"I know. Now come on, let's get you in there."

She put an arm around his shoulders and helped him stand up. Wobbly on his own two legs, nevertheless, after almost four days of staying in bed. He swayed constantly as they made their way through the hallway into the living room. It was a wonder he didn't fall over during the process. Once arrived, Rose helped the Doctor settle on the couch, spreading a blanket over his pajama-clad body and made sure to prop his head up with a pillow.

Once she put the movie in the player, she struggled to find a place to sit. The Doctor, still somewhat aware of his surroundings, noticed.

"You could always...you know, lay here," he said, motioning to the sofa.

"Oh, um..." she said, flustered, "That's alright, you need the space."

"No, really, I'm used to sleeping in small areas,"

She finally nodded. "Okay, fine Doctor, but you better not get me sick."

"I told you already, I'm not contagious to humans. And really, after three nights pressed up against me, _now _you get all concerned about your health?" He said mischievously, left eyebrow raised.

"Oh shut up and move over."

He grinned as she made her way over to him, climbing under the blanket with him and settling with her back against his stomach. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer into him. His hair, a bit messy after being in bed, strayed and tickled the side of her face. But she didn't mind. The fabric of his t-shirt rubbed against the small strip of exposed skin on her back, making her shiver each time they shifted positions. It was nice, laying like that, when he was actually conscious to know what was happening.

A low hum sounded from the television, signaling the start of the film. All throughout the opening credits, the doctor groggily went on and on about how making lions talk in a children's film is completely illogical.

"How come they do that? I mean why would they make children believe that animals can talk to them? Isn't that lying to them"

"Doctor, it's a children's film. They don't take it seriously, it's just for fun. Didn't children do that back on your planet?"

He shifted uncomfortably next to her. "Well...we didn't really do a lot of things for fun. It was mostly just for the sake of wisdom, or knowledge. I know that my children..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, go on," she said tentatively.

"It's nothing. Nothing you need to know about," he dismissed quickly.

Rose rotated her body to face him. "You always do that. You finally open up about your past, and once you realize what you're doing, you just shut it out. Come on Doctor, you can talk to me. We're a team, remember?" She locked eyes with him for a moment, then he abruptly looked away.

"Really Rose it's nothing," he said, seemingly unconvinced himself. Rose reached her hand out and pushed a lock of brown hair out of his face.

"You can speak," she whispered.

Reluctantly, he opened his mouth.


	7. Chapter 7

"Gallifrey...it wasn't a place for much pleasure, despite its riches and whatnot."

The Doctor paused for a moment, as if wanting to choose the exact right words for the next sentence. Rose looked at him expectantly.

"My children...they didn't really have anything to do for fun. It was a bit of a more serious atmosphere..."

And the Doctor talked. Rose listened. The topic eventually trailed away from his children to life on his planet in general, to his wife, and grandchildren, and his childhood. As well as the memories that he shared with them. The movie on the television seemed miles away, its sound tuned out by words spoken louder.

Even after the credits rolled down the screen at an unbelievably slow pace, the Doctor kept on talking. It was as if all of the words he wanted to say during his travels since the Time War were able to finally escape the safe haven of his lips.

They talked until three in the morning, long after Jackie had gone to bed, and long after their movie had ended. It was at this time when the grief of losing all of his previous family hit him like a storm.

He stopped mid-sentence and looked right at Rose, his eyes watery. A cracked and sorrowful voice rang out beneath the wreckage of the Time Lord before her.

"Oh Rose," he whispered, "I killed them all." He looked away in despair, all interest in speaking now lost and forgotten. Laying back down on the couch, he wiped his now reddened eyes with his hands. On his back, he stared at the ceiling. Completely silent. Maybe he was searching for the stars above him. Stars that might have contained his loved ones galaxies away.

Rose could only stare in horror, at a loss for words. He was broken, anyone could see that. How she could fix him was beyond her years of knowledge.

"How do you know you killed them?" She said as softly as she could.

Apparently surprised that she dared to speak up, the Doctor turned on his side to face her. The fire erupted back into his eyes, though his tone was cold.

"_Because I saw it happen, Rose." _As soon as it had come, the fire left his eyes and he fled back into the darkness that had engulfed him moments before.

She knew talking would do her no good. She also had no doubt that arguing that it wasn't his fault would do any good either. After all, she wasn't there to witness it. So she took him into her arms. A simple gesture that she hoped would help him deal. She felt him stiffen at her touch at first, then relax. His face buried itself into her shoulder and he hugged her back, holding on tighter than he ever had before.

She felt the tears on her shirt about a minute after. Never did she think that the Time Lord would cry so openly around her. They soon turned into awful, heart-wrenching sobs, ones that caused her to want to hold him tighter with each whimpering sound. She did of course, but she could only hug him so tight in his condition.

A hand immediately went to his hair the first time he wailed. Slowly, she carefully worked her fingers through his wild brunet locks, just as a mother would do to her sick child. It devastated her, seeing him like this. He didn't have the Tardis to bury himself into, and he didn't have the world to save as an excuse to run off. It was simply her Doctor, in need of saving himself.

Perhaps it was minutes, or perhaps it was hours. But she held him, for as long as the sobs erupted from his body. Caressing him through all of his unintelligible apologies and mutters. Then she decided it was time to move him.

"Doctor, I think we should get to bed, don't you?" She whispered softly into his ear.

He pulled his head away from her shoulder to weakly nod in agreement. She immediately pulled away to stand up from the couch. Ignoring the still-running television, she helped him up, clasping his hand firmly in hers. She supported him as he staggered, whether it was from the sickness or grief she was never sure.

When they arrived in the bedroom, Rose helped him get settled under the covers, his head resting on his pillow. _This is what? The fourth time I've put him to bed this week? _She thought.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving," she said, assuming he would ask. He didn't even respond. His eyes still stared blankly at the ceiling, dead as before.

"You're gonna be okay, you know that right?" She climbed in next to him, "It's all in the past now. All of it."

"I...I know," he responded, his words barely audible.

"You're gonna go to sleep now. I want you to rest, Doctor," she ordered.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her into his chest, kissing her forehead. "Of course, a Time Lord like me needs his beauty rest," he said mockingly, trying to cover up his previous feelings.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You never have to hide anything from me, Doctor. Remember that."

He closed his eyes tightly, seemingly trying to forget everything that had happened. "Thank you, Rose," he rasped.

She didn't need to ask what for. She could detect it in his voice.

"Now sleep, my Doctor," she said into the darkness hoping he could hear her, "I love you."


End file.
